Oskar Blues to start production in Brevard in December

Kyle Williams, owner of Brevard Brewing Company, pours a glass of Dale's Pale Ale, which is produced by Oskar Blues.

MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS

By Gary GlancyTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Sunday, August 5, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 3, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.

Officials with Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery say the company is on track to fire up the kettles by December at its new facility in Brevard. And perhaps the only ones as eager for the opening as thirsty craft-beer lovers in Western North Carolina are the handful of employees relocating from Oskar Blues' home base of Longmont, Colo., who will lead the launch of the WNC expansion.

Facts

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"It's a super-motivated group, and we're really excited to make it out there," company spokesman Chad Melis said.

In fact, some have already moved here because, as Melis said, Transylvania County is "not a foreign place to us."

The Oskar Blues folks — well-known for their love of mountain biking and cycling in general — have been frequent visitors to the area this year. Back in the spring, Melis and other brewery employees spent a three-day weekend here, during which they hammered out three mountain-bike rides in the forest as well as the 62-mile Assault on the Carolinas road ride.

In just a few months, however, it will be time to crank out Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub, Mama's Little Yella Pils and other canned products that are already available in WNC.

The company is expected to sign a lease next week on a building at 342 Mountain Industrial Drive, just off Old Hendersonville Highway, that will serve as the brewing production facility. Melis said Oskar Blues plans to brew about 40,000 barrels — or 1.2 million gallons — of beer in 2013 at the Brevard plant.

At just more than 30,000 square feet, the brewery will be similar in size to the one in Longmont, where Oskar Blues expects to produce about 90,000 barrels this year and more than 100,000 barrels in 2013. Melis said annual capacity at the Brevard facility could eventually reach up to 85,000 barrels with room for expansion.

Meanwhile, the company is actively searching for a nearby location for a restaurant and music venue.

A good fit

Oskar Blues' expansion here is being viewed as another coup for the area after Sierra Nevada and New Belgium brewing companies — the nation's second- and third-largest microbreweries, respectively — chose WNC to expand their operations.

Oskar Blues, which announced in early May that it will employ about 75 to 100 people — nearly all local jobs — as part of its expansion, brings with it many of the same qualities that have won over local officials with regard to Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. That includes not just highly acclaimed beer but also environmental sustainability and a commitment to enhancing quality of life here.

"They wanted to come in and be a part of the community, not just in Brevard but Western North Carolina, and contribute to it — economically, socially — and help support everything that's going on here," said Brevard native John Felty, owner of Looking Glass Productions, which produces the annual Mountain Song Festival, and a close friend of Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis.

"So what I think people can look forward to is someone that's not just coming in to take advantage of the resources here, but someone that's also going to give quite a bit back, beyond the jobs and all that kind of stuff ... Everything they do, they understand the impact that it could have on the community and the surrounding areas. It's going to be a great thing for our region."

Even Kyle Williams, owner of Brevard Brewing Co., is embracing Oskar Blues' arrival. Williams got a jolt when Oskar Blues announced its expansion plans just one week after BBC opened its doors, but his fears have since subsided. Williams said he's met some of Oskar Blues' leaders who frequent his taproom, and he even serves Dale's Pale Ale at the bar.

"I'm a lot less worried than I was then," Williams said. "I was just super-stressed; I was just opening and then I hear they're going to move basically across the street from me. Since then, it's been great. The more I think about it, I can't imagine losing a ton of business to them, especially because they're going to promote me. They say they will, and I believe them — they're going to do everything they can to help my business. They certainly don't want to come into town and run me out or anything. They're good people."

Williams said his business is thriving well beyond expectations and that "the whole town is just 100 percent behind me." Oskar Blues' presence should bring Brevard's craft-beer culture to a new level.

"I run into people all over Lomgmont that when you ask them why they are here they'll say, ‘Well, we're on a Colorado craft-beer tour and you can't miss out on Oskar Blues,'" said Joe Ward, executive director of the Longmont Area Visitors Association.

Ward added that the brewery is a major draw for Longmont, which competes for tourists with nearby Denver and Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. He said Oskar Blues "really hits it out of the park" with capturing the Colorado culture and lifestyle by offering a complete visitor experience that includes "stellar beers," a farm-to-table dining experience and, of course, cycling.

The company even produces its own line of hand-welded mountain bikes called REEB Bicycles.

"Outside of the tourism impact," Ward said, "it's really just the fact that they're such a successful company here and have grown so rapidly that it's actually a key driver in many ways to the economic development landscape we have here."

<p>Officials with Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery say the company is on track to fire up the kettles by December at its new facility in Brevard. And perhaps the only ones as eager for the opening as thirsty craft-beer lovers in Western North Carolina are the handful of employees relocating from Oskar Blues' home base of Longmont, Colo., who will lead the launch of the WNC expansion.</p><p>"It's a super-motivated group, and we're really excited to make it out there," company spokesman Chad Melis said.</p><p>In fact, some have already moved here because, as Melis said, Transylvania County is "not a foreign place to us."</p><p>The Oskar Blues folks — well-known for their love of mountain biking and cycling in general — have been frequent visitors to the area this year. Back in the spring, Melis and other brewery employees spent a three-day weekend here, during which they hammered out three mountain-bike rides in the forest as well as the 62-mile Assault on the Carolinas road ride.</p><p>In just a few months, however, it will be time to crank out Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub, Mama's Little Yella Pils and other canned products that are already available in WNC.</p><p>The company is expected to sign a lease next week on a building at 342 Mountain Industrial Drive, just off Old Hendersonville Highway, that will serve as the brewing production facility. Melis said Oskar Blues plans to brew about 40,000 barrels — or 1.2 million gallons — of beer in 2013 at the Brevard plant. </p><p>At just more than 30,000 square feet, the brewery will be similar in size to the one in Longmont, where Oskar Blues expects to produce about 90,000 barrels this year and more than 100,000 barrels in 2013. Melis said annual capacity at the Brevard facility could eventually reach up to 85,000 barrels with room for expansion.</p><p>Meanwhile, the company is actively searching for a nearby location for a restaurant and music venue. </p><p><b>A good fit</b></p><p>Oskar Blues' expansion here is being viewed as another coup for the area after Sierra Nevada and New Belgium brewing companies — the nation's second- and third-largest microbreweries, respectively — chose WNC to expand their operations.</p><p>Oskar Blues, which announced in early May that it will employ about 75 to 100 people — nearly all local jobs — as part of its expansion, brings with it many of the same qualities that have won over local officials with regard to Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. That includes not just highly acclaimed beer but also environmental sustainability and a commitment to enhancing quality of life here.</p><p>"They wanted to come in and be a part of the community, not just in Brevard but Western North Carolina, and contribute to it — economically, socially — and help support everything that's going on here," said Brevard native John Felty, owner of Looking Glass Productions, which produces the annual Mountain Song Festival, and a close friend of Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis. </p><p>"So what I think people can look forward to is someone that's not just coming in to take advantage of the resources here, but someone that's also going to give quite a bit back, beyond the jobs and all that kind of stuff ... Everything they do, they understand the impact that it could have on the community and the surrounding areas. It's going to be a great thing for our region."</p><p>Even Kyle Williams, owner of Brevard Brewing Co., is embracing Oskar Blues' arrival. Williams got a jolt when Oskar Blues announced its expansion plans just one week after BBC opened its doors, but his fears have since subsided. Williams said he's met some of Oskar Blues' leaders who frequent his taproom, and he even serves Dale's Pale Ale at the bar.</p><p>"I'm a lot less worried than I was then," Williams said. "I was just super-stressed; I was just opening and then I hear they're going to move basically across the street from me. Since then, it's been great. The more I think about it, I can't imagine losing a ton of business to them, especially because they're going to promote me. They say they will, and I believe them — they're going to do everything they can to help my business. They certainly don't want to come into town and run me out or anything. They're good people."</p><p>Williams said his business is thriving well beyond expectations and that "the whole town is just 100 percent behind me." Oskar Blues' presence should bring Brevard's craft-beer culture to a new level.</p><p>"I run into people all over Lomgmont that when you ask them why they are here they'll say, 'Well, we're on a Colorado craft-beer tour and you can't miss out on Oskar Blues,'" said Joe Ward, executive director of the Longmont Area Visitors Association.</p><p>Ward added that the brewery is a major draw for Longmont, which competes for tourists with nearby Denver and Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. He said Oskar Blues "really hits it out of the park" with capturing the Colorado culture and lifestyle by offering a complete visitor experience that includes "stellar beers," a farm-to-table dining experience and, of course, cycling.</p><p>The company even produces its own line of hand-welded mountain bikes called REEB Bicycles.</p><p>"Outside of the tourism impact," Ward said, "it's really just the fact that they're such a successful company here and have grown so rapidly that it's actually a key driver in many ways to the economic development landscape we have here."</p><p>Reach Glancy at 828-694-7860 or gary.glancy@blueridgenow.com.</p>